Thanks for welcoming this new story with nice reviews, they are always appreciated! Didn't want to keep you waiting too long, so here comes chapter 2!
This happened in the last chapter: SG-1 has been captured and are on their way to the slave market in the city of Herapolis.
Glossary: Grammateus: a scribe, clerk. Dominus: master. Ares: Greek name for Mars, the god of war.
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Chapter 2
"Get up! Up! Polydeus is up!" the hunters were shouting.
"Polydeus?" Sam asked.
"Polydeus. There!" a man sitting close to her said, pointing at the rising sun.
"Of course!" Daniel cried out. "Pollux! And the other one must be Castor. Or maybe, Khastor, right?" he smiled. The man nodded while looking at him like he was the village's idiot. "Doesn't everyone know their names?" he asked.
"Sure" Jack said. "Look, anyone could loosen those ropes? I have to pee"
"Indeed" Teal'c agreed.
The rest of the prisoners were sent to the river while the hunters were removing the ropes from the three rebels. They were taken to the river with a guard each, told to drink and wash up, then their chains were rearranged with their arms behind their backs and the chain in a loop around their neck so as to strangle them if they tried to free themselves.
"Very clever, guys, you should be proud" A hunter was already marching on Jack with his white stick at the ready.
"Leave him alone!" another commanded. "We don't have time for this. March!" He yanked at the chain and the first prisoner stumbled in the water, making the hunters laugh. The man got up on his feet and the column began its slow walk toward the city of Herapolis.
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The first thing they saw as they reached the top of the hill was the sea. The wind was blowing the scent of salt toward them, reminding Daniel of his childhood on the shores of the Red Sea. A large vessel was leaving the harbor, hundreds of oars meeting the water like one. The city lying at their feet was magnificent. Several temples were visible even at that distance, with white columns of marble in the best Greek style. An amphitheater, palaces, an arena and other large buildings were surrounding the market place. On the suburbs were smaller houses and huts where freed slaves and simple citizens lived, presenting a buffer between the city and the swamps lying in the background. Between the hills and the city, meadows allowed cattle and horses to graze under the watch of a handful of herd boys.
"Daniel, isn't that a pyramid?" Sam asked, pointing at a low construction on the plain.
"Several actually. See there? There are two others" the archaeologist corrected.
"Isn't that odd? I thought pyramids were Egyptian, not Greek!" Jack said.
"There is actually several pyramids in Greece, and in Italy too. You can find them all over the world in different shapes and sizes and..." The column had resumed its march and Daniel had to interrupt his otherwise passionate lecture. They walked down from the hills and across the meadows until they reached the Western door of the city. The walls hadn't seemed so high from the hills, but they were impressive once you stood under them. Armed guards suspiciously dressed like Roman legionnaires stopped them at the door to check the identity of the hunters and make sure they were free men entering for the sake of trade. Other guards were checking the stock of prisoners for signs of diseases and parasites.
"You may enter" the main guard said after everyone had been checked. The group was herded toward the market place. People in the streets didn't even seem to notice them, it was perfectly normal for new slaves to be brought in on a regular basis.
At the base of the arena, was a revolving stand with five slaves standing and waiting for a new owner. The new comers were taken into the bowels of the arena to a large cell surrounded by smaller ones. An authoritative man and his grammateus, who was carrying a bunch of parchments, were waiting. The chief hunter saluted the men while the other hunters were lining the prisoners up.
"Here they are" the chief hunter said to the slave trader. "A nice lot. I think you'll be satisfied" He grabbed a torch and followed the slave trader who had approached the first prisoner to examine him.
"Open your mouth" he said. The chief hunter used his white stick to hold the teenager's mouth open and approached the torch so that the slave trader could inspect his teeth. Then the palpated his arms, thighs, and poked at his belly. Satisfied with his inspection, he asked the boy about his age, origins, skills and former occupation, which the grammateus wrote on a piece of parchment. After this, the teenager's irons were replaced by a light ring at the ankle. He was then told to strip and sent to be properly washed and oiled in anticipation of the sale. Teal'c was the first member of SG-1 in the line, and his inspection did not take long. The slave trader didn't seem surprised by the nature of the jaffa, indicating that he was well aware of their existence. He also seemed very pleased to have him in the lot.
"Guard! Send for Gracchus Lupus immediately. I have here a specimen he will want for his school of gladiators!" Teal'c remained stoic as ever, but his friends shared worried looks. Gladiator...
"Don't worry too much for him" the old woman whispered to Sam. "He looks like he could be a fine gladiator, and if he fares well, he could be rewarded with his freedom, fight for his own credit!" she said, seemingly delighted at this wonderful prospect. Sam couldn't believe her ears, but she didn't have time to mule over this because it was Daniel's turn.
"Scholar you say?" the slave trader was asking, obviously surprised.
"Yes" Daniel answered with his usual naive trusting assurance.
"What kind of scholar? Can you read?"
"Yes. Several languages. I use to study texts.. I study the past and the History of gods and people"
"What are those on your face?" the slave trader asked suddenly.
"Er... ah those! There are eyeglasses. My eyesight is not very good, they help me correct it"
"You don't see without them?" the slave trader wondered.
"Oh yes, yes I do! It is just difficult to focus on small things.. Especially when I read.."
"That's enough. You can go and prepare yourself. Guard, notify the priestess of Hera that she might want to have a look at this one"
"Priestess of Hera, that's good, right?" Jack discretely asked the old woman.
"Yes, very good. He would serve the goddess, it's an honor and a position only a few selected slaves can obtain!"
"As long as she's no goa'uld that is..." Jack whispered to Sam. In the meantime, Daniel was standing in his boxers, furiously blushing in the middle of the room as the guard was insisting that he stripped completely since the buyers would want to see exactly what they were buying.
Soon it was Sam's turn and Jack could hardly hold himself as the slave trader was palpating her in places he could barely allow himself to even think about. One of the hunters approached Jack, his white stick at the ready but the slave trader pretended not to notice and continued his investigation.
"What skills do you have? Can you cook? Weave?" he asked. Glaring, she gave him the answer she had given Turghan in his time: "I am a scholar and a warrior. I do the work of men" Jack was smiling proudly, both at what she had said, and at the way she had said it, as impudent as he would have done himself. But the guards and hunters roared with laughter, although the slave trader kept his inquisitive look on her, now with a hint of mistrust.
"Silence!" he told the men. "Warrior you said. How so?"
"I go to war on other planets with my team"
"Why?"
"To find new technology and defeat the goa'ulds" The silence in the room was deafening and except for the smug on SG'1's faces, all the others were suddenly looking astound. The slave trader gathered his wits fairly quickly however.
"A scholar? Are you studying the past too?"
"No, I am studying technology and physics"
"What are those?"
"The way things work, both in machines and in the universe" The slave trader nodded and walked to the next in line while Sam was freed from her irons and walked to the middle of the room to strip and wash up.
Although it was hard not to watch her, the situation was not allowing Jack to admire how hot she was. He was too busy following every movement from the males around her, and sure enough, some bastard hunter reached out to grope her bare ass. SG-1 jumped forward but they were immediately contained by the guards. The one at Jack's side was the hunter who had forced himself on Sam the night before and he had been waiting for just this reaction from Jack to shove his white stick in his ribs and keep it there as long as no one would tell him otherwise. The slave trader, who was talking to the old woman and thus facing the wall, hadn't seen the scene which had triggered SG'1's reaction, but he knew men and could guess what had happened. He was a stern but just man, and took his position very seriously. He had a reputation of treating slaves fairly and decently.
"I will NOT tolerate that a slave of mine would be molested in this establishment!" his strong and clear voice warned. "Leave this female alone and get out immediately" he added. The guilty hunter left without further ado while the one torturing Jack didn't feel concerned until the slave trader's glare became so obvious that he could feel it piercing his neck. He removed his white stick from Jack's chest and rose slowly to his feet, keeping his eyes down for fear of reprimands. Struggling to catch his breath, Jack eventually got back on his feet, holding himself to the wall to keep steady despite the burning fire in each nerve end. He caught Sam's worried look and locked eyes with her, both making sure the other was OK in one of their silent conversations. Intrigued by Jack's attitude, the slave trader turned around to have a look at both of them, clearly sensing that something was happening that he wasn't privy to. He finished his interview of the old woman and moved in front of Jack, effectively interrupting the eye lock.
"Open your mouth" he said, shortly thrown off by Jack's intense gaze now on him. Satisfied by the physical examination, he proceeded with the usual list of questions.
"What skills do you have?"
"I am a warrior and a leader"
"A leader?"
"Yep" The slave trader didn't need a more thorough answer. He could see in the dark eyes that this man was indeed a leader. But this was an unwanted skill in a slave. And there was no doubt he also was a warrior who would kill with his bare hands whoever disrespected the scholar woman. Maybe he could be a good gladiator... If not, he had enough stamina to survive for some time on a galley. While Jack was sent to have his irons removed and prepare for the sale, the slave trader moved to the next prisoner.
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Naked as the day he was born and dripping from his wash, Jack joined the other males in one of the large cells siding the main room. The females were kept in another cell and he couldn't see them. Daniel and Teal'c joined him.
"Are you injured O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired. He had followed the whole scene of Jack being tortured by the white stick and had been worried.
"I'm fine big guy, it's OK"
"Did the slave trader say something?" Daniel wanted to know.
"Nope"
"Prisoners!" said slave trader announced. "You are now slaves. You have no name, your new dominus will call you whatever he pleases. You have no past, no family, no friends. Your only concern is to obey your dominus and serve him. You have no personality. You will become whoever your dominus wishes you to be. Your body is the propriety of your dominus and he will do whatever he pleases with it."
The slave trader paused for a moment, letting his words sink.
"However. In the city of Herapolis, slaves are to be treated fairly. Excessive punishment shall be prosecuted. If your dominus treats you badly, you can file a complaint with me or the priestess of Hera. But be warned! Those complaints are thoroughly investigated, and if they are unfounded, your dominus will be free to do whatever pleases him as a punishment for your impudence!"
The slave trader was pacing in front of the cells, making sure he had the attention of each and every prisoner. "Now. You have been gauged and the skills you claimed to possess have been registered on these pieces of parchment. Some of you will be presented to selected customers for a private sale. The rest will be displayed on the revolving stand and those parchments will be available for our customers to make their choice. If you have lied about your skills or physical condition, your new dominus is entitled to return you within six months. Slaves of lesser value will not be covered by this guarantee and will be given a cap to wear at the auction. Those of you who are not sold today will be sold to the mines and galleys tomorrow"
"After you are sold, your ankle ring will be marked with the seal of your dominus. Those rings allow your dominus to know where you are at all times. If you were ever attempting to escape, the ring would crush your ankle, so I advise you against trying. The town is well guarded and the legion is instructed shortly if a slave is missing. Do not be fools. The punishment for attempted escape is most unpleasant"
On those last words, the slave trader left the room and the prisoners were presented with flat round breads and water. They had not eaten since their capture the day before, and although the bread was dry and hard, some of the stronger men tried to steal from the weaker ones. Teal'c had made friend with an elderly man and would not tolerate the bullying. The man who had been garroted like Jack and Teal'c the day before was built like an ox and very hungry. He had made up his mind that one piece of bread wasn't enough and that he was entitled to at least two. Weak slaves wouldn't sell today anyway, and they wouldn't survive a week in the mines. The bread was a waste on them and he wanted it for himself. He started a brawl and the guards rushed into the cell to stop him, afraid that open wounds and bruises would lower their price. Teal'c and the bully were soon extracted from the common cell and isolated in two smaller ones. The men resumed their meal but soon, a guard entered the main room and addressed his companion:
"Gracchus Lupus will be here soon. Have the candidates prepared immediately!" Teal'c, the bully, Jack and several of the strongest men were lined up in the main room again to be oiled. The young slaves who had brought the bread were assigned to the task, carefully oiling every inch of the skin to make it glister. Jack could feel Carter's eyes on him and was fairly uncomfortable, standing naked for anyone to see, with a boy oiling every part of him. Once ready, the six men were kept standing for a few moments until Gracchus Lupus arrived. He was a nicely dressed, round, affable man in his fifties. Following him was an obsequious man with hard features who was holding a lash in one hand, and a white stick in the other. Enthusiast, Lupus began his inspection of the candidates immediately.
"Ah! By Ares yes! Nice specimens indeed. Oh a jaffa! How uncommon these days! Look at those wonderful muscles! I'll take this one yes. Let's see. What do we have on this parchment? Ah. You were a carpenter yes, good, good. Strong arms. Strong hands. I'll take this one too. You inspected the teeth did you not? Yes. As usual. I know I can trust you my dear friend. Good. Hu... What is that? Why did you select this one? He is half the size of the others. A warrior you say? Na, he is too old. Send him back. Ah yes, this is much better!..." Lupus continued to babble along, drooling on the meaty candidates still standing in line while Jack was walked back to the males' cell. Too old?! He was offended, and even more so when he caught the bright smile on his Major's face. Was she making fun of him? Half the size of the others, of course! They were giants! He was a tall guy himself but he had a normal muscular mass, that's it. Perfectly normal. And healthy. And not old! The smug on Daniel's face did nothing to lift Jack's spirits.
"Go away Daniel!" he grumbled.
"I'm glad Jack, really. It's bad enough that Teal'c has to end up being a gladiator, I would have been sick with worry if you had been sent there too!"
"Why, thanks Daniel" Jack said, suddenly soothed. "But I'm not old!"
"No you're not" Daniel smiled. Another man was sent back to the cell and the four remaining candidates were presented with leather loincloths and sandals. Then, a seal was attached to their ankle rings while Lupus was paying for their purchase.
"Now you are marked with my seal and part of my gladiator school. Achilles here will be your trainer. Gladiators are treated well, they are like stallions, we see to that you perform at your best. If I am pleased with your effort, I shall reward you with a young girl from time to time. Maybe with your freedom, one day, we shall see"
And on those giddy words, he left the room, followed by his new property and Achilles at the rear. Dread was suddenly seizing the remaining members of SG-1 as the door closed shut behind their friend.
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- TBC -
